Eliza Dunn '25 Named Finalist in NPR College Podcast Challenge

On a bitter cold winter day, Eliza Dunn '25 joined a group of women called the Brave Souls to take a three-minute "dip" into the Connecticut River. Dunn brought her bathing suit and a recorder on the group's weekly outing so that she could capture the experience for an assignment in the course Tell Me A Story: Introduction to Nonfiction Radio and Podcasting, taught by lecturer Sophie Crane.

In March, Dunn's resulting podcast, Brave Souls, was named one of 10 finalists in NPR's fourth annual College Podcast Challenge. Hundreds of students took part in the national competition, which is judged by some of the best audio storytellers in the country. The winning podcaster will receive $5,000.

In Dunn's nine-minute podcast, she tells the story of what motivates these women to experience the harshest conditions—capturing the gasps and yelps as they enter the cold, the trickling of the water as they get out of the river, and the tone and emotion in each woman's voice as they share their enthusiasm for their weekly dip.

"I love audio because it feels like such a uniquely creative and authentic way to tell a story," Dunn says. "There's something really powerful and intimate about hearing someone's voice without any kind of visual image … and how you can create entire scenes and stories using specific sounds and sound design."

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Eliza Dunn '25 interviews Ellie Anderson '25 for a podcast.

The Department of English and Creative Writing class was Dunn's first foray into audio storytelling. She learned the basics of using a recorder, the fundamentals of interviewing, the power of writing for the ear and using different sounds to tell a story, and the intricacies of audio production.

"Sophie's class taught me how to really listen, and to think about sound and storytelling in an entirely new way," Dunn says. "I still rely on so many lessons and insights from that class, including Sophie's wise advice to never turn our recorders off during an interview, which I took to heart when I went dipping with the Brave Souls and held my recorder above the water just praying it wouldn't get wet!"

Since taking the course, Dunn has expanded her audio journalism skills through an internship at KOTO Community Radio in Telluride, Colo.

"Her enthusiasm for the medium made her a joy to teach," says Crane. "Being named one of just 10 finalists is a tremendous achievement. It's a testament to her talent, creativity, and dedication to the craft of audio storytelling."

"I am so honored to be a finalist in the College Podcast Challenge, especially after listening to all the other finalists' amazing projects," Dunn says. "It's really exciting to feel like a part of a rising generation of audio journalists. It feels like now more than ever hearing each other's stories—in our own voices—is incredibly important."

The winner of NPR's College Podcast Challenge will be announced this month.